I was recently thinking about what cuisine I could have everyday, and I think Japanese food alone takes that prize. I'm not sure I could even have Chinese food everyday, although I suppose there is enough variety for me to get by! As most people know, Vancouver is my haven for glorious Japanese food, particularly tapas at Hapa Izakaya, Kingyo, Guu and the like. In a city as big as Toronto, we just assumed there would be something similar.....but we were wrong. Not to be disappointed for long, Tony came upon Ematei in his unrelenting research online; and lucky for us, it happens to be conveniently located just off Queen on the surprisingly quiet St. Patrick street.
Ematei offers traditional Japanese fare and is deliciously satisfying - ALWAYS my "go to" place when I've had a long/tiring/bad day at work. In fact, it is by far our most frequented restaurant in TO . We've noticed the patrons are largely Japanese, a good nod to authenticity. Our best discovery has been nabe - Japanese hot pot! I had not had it before Ematei and can say we have it 95% of the times we are there. Nabe is a unique experience allowing everyone at the table to socially cook and share food - nothing new for fans of Chinese hot pot! Our favourite at Ematei is the Chanko Nabe, a miso broth filled with tofu, chicken balls, beef, shrimp, scallops, assorted mushrooms, vegetables and noodles. Sound like a lot? It is! And somehow, Tony and I manage to survive eating it on our own. But I have to say, it is best enjoyed with 4+ people, because then you can taste the rest of Ematei's delicious menu - from staple sushi/sashimi, rice and noodles, to grilled tapas on the special menu. Our favourites include the grilled black cod, sashimi dinner, oden (assorted fishcakes & daikon in broth, only available in winter), butter eringi mushroom, and miso grilled eggplant. There are still many items we have not tried on the menu because I am always crave the hot pot! Not to say we dined our way through all of Tokyo, but our hot pot experience at Ematei is better than some places we tried in Japan....no small feat.
Please try Ematei if I have not yet taken you there personally! Be warned that it is often busy, so don't be surprised if you have to wait. Meanwhile, I wait with baited breath for Guu to open in Toronto....but it won't replace my nabe!
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Friday, July 17, 2009
Kenzo: The Story of a Noodle House in Downtown Toronto
I love noodles - anyone who knows me can vouch for that. We were thrilled when we saw that a noodle house was opening close to home a couple weeks ago; and better yet, a Japanese noodle house! We passed by every day wondering when it would open its doors....little did we know that the red banner outside the door was an indication that they were open for business!
On our first visit to Ke
nzo, we had miso ramen, shoyu ramen and takoyaki (octopus dough balls) - the basic noodle bowls reminded us of the efficient yet delicious meals we'd have along the Tokyo subway on our last holiday. We ended up chatting with the owner after telling him the OPEN sign should be lit! He is an endearing man who was overwhelmed by how busy his little venture has become. He has sold his North York and Marham locations to focus on this new, high traffic location. They were so unexpectedly busy the first week that they ran out of noodles! He also showed us the intended full menu - Kenzo is not just a noodle house afterall, the menu was to include izakaya including charcoal grill skewers. He told us about the special charcoal that needs to be imported and other ingredients key to Japanese stock and dishes....we couldn't wait to try it out. Today, we made a return visit and were happy to find that the menu was almost completely ready. There are some familiar options like pork belly and enoki mushrooms wrapped in bacon (in fact, there are many bacon wrapped options!), and also some exotic ones like chicken heart.
While I wouldn't consider Kenzo extraordinary, it satisfies in flavour and the basic qualities of a noodle house: fast, simple, and affordable - you can have a bowl of ramen for $6 and splurge for some skewers at $3 each for some variety. I think ramen and takoyaki will become a regular part of our diet going forward!
On our first visit to Ke
nzo, we had miso ramen, shoyu ramen and takoyaki (octopus dough balls) - the basic noodle bowls reminded us of the efficient yet delicious meals we'd have along the Tokyo subway on our last holiday. We ended up chatting with the owner after telling him the OPEN sign should be lit! He is an endearing man who was overwhelmed by how busy his little venture has become. He has sold his North York and Marham locations to focus on this new, high traffic location. They were so unexpectedly busy the first week that they ran out of noodles! He also showed us the intended full menu - Kenzo is not just a noodle house afterall, the menu was to include izakaya including charcoal grill skewers. He told us about the special charcoal that needs to be imported and other ingredients key to Japanese stock and dishes....we couldn't wait to try it out. Today, we made a return visit and were happy to find that the menu was almost completely ready. There are some familiar options like pork belly and enoki mushrooms wrapped in bacon (in fact, there are many bacon wrapped options!), and also some exotic ones like chicken heart.While I wouldn't consider Kenzo extraordinary, it satisfies in flavour and the basic qualities of a noodle house: fast, simple, and affordable - you can have a bowl of ramen for $6 and splurge for some skewers at $3 each for some variety. I think ramen and takoyaki will become a regular part of our diet going forward!
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Prague Fine Food Emporium: A Family Style Gem on Queen West
I have mentioned Prague in the blog before - I LOVE this little Czech deli. I still remember the first time I stumbled upon this place while exploring the Queen West area - I had not had Czech food since backpacking in Europe back in 2004. I loved it then, and imagine my delight to find this little gem!
Prague offers the ultimate in homemade comfort food in generous proportions - truly fine food for an incredibly low price. There is something on the menu for everyone, whether you are adventurous or prefer something more familiar sounding: roast duck with braised cabbage, beef with bread dumplings soaked in sauce, classic perogies and roast pork, and my favourite: tripe soup. This week, we stopped in for brunch with Lorena and Calvin and of course, it was as good as always. Our bonus was that the soups are offered as early as 10am! I CRAVE the tripe soup, 
it is rich in taste and absolutely amazing. We have also had liver dumpling soup in the past, and it was a pleasant reminder of the delicious meals Lorena and I had while traveling. On this brunch day, I had a savoury palcinky (like a savoury crepe) with smoked salmon and two poached eggs. Tony's Czech hot cakes were topped with blueberry compote and sour cream - they were adorable little pancakes and delicious (of course) to boot.
This is truly one of our favourite spots in Toronto and I hope you will go and try it! It closes on weekdays at 7pm, and even earlier on weekends, so make an early run for dinner. And not to worry, breakfast starts at 7:30am!
Prague offers the ultimate in homemade comfort food in generous proportions - truly fine food for an incredibly low price. There is something on the menu for everyone, whether you are adventurous or prefer something more familiar sounding: roast duck with braised cabbage, beef with bread dumplings soaked in sauce, classic perogies and roast pork, and my favourite: tripe soup. This week, we stopped in for brunch with Lorena and Calvin and of course, it was as good as always. Our bonus was that the soups are offered as early as 10am! I CRAVE the tripe soup, 
it is rich in taste and absolutely amazing. We have also had liver dumpling soup in the past, and it was a pleasant reminder of the delicious meals Lorena and I had while traveling. On this brunch day, I had a savoury palcinky (like a savoury crepe) with smoked salmon and two poached eggs. Tony's Czech hot cakes were topped with blueberry compote and sour cream - they were adorable little pancakes and delicious (of course) to boot.This is truly one of our favourite spots in Toronto and I hope you will go and try it! It closes on weekdays at 7pm, and even earlier on weekends, so make an early run for dinner. And not to worry, breakfast starts at 7:30am!
A GREAT Deal in Greek Town: Pantheon
Those who know me also know that I rarely venture out of the downtown core - there are so many food options already, there has to be a really good incentive for us to brave the weekend drivers. And despite the many cultural plots in the city, we have not spent enough time exploring Little Italy, Little Portugal, Korea Town and the like. This past weekend, we made our way to Greek Town on the Danforth, to a restaurant called Pantheon.
Logistics first: the Danforth is a lovely neighbourhood that is VERY busy on a hot summer day - reservations recommended, as is taking the subway (we spent +30min looking for parking!).
Pantheon, above all, was an amazing deal. For 6 people, we had 5 entrees (each enough to feed 2), a dip platter and 3 appetizers (each the size of an entree!) at $30 a person including tax and tip! We were stuffed and happy beyond belief, and some of us even had lunch for the next day. My favourites include the Orange Roughy - Pantheon boasts fresh fish, and this fish filet was BIG. At any other restaurant, your fish would come 1/4 the size of what was served here...and it was delicious. Needless to say, we finished ours. The calamari was also exceptional. Although I typically think calamari taste relatively the same, this was tender, meaty and with taste beyond just the batter. The grilled octopus was similar - served as two grilled tentacles (sounds scarrier than it is), the octopus was actually very tender and not as chewy as we have come to expect. Our livers were served with mushrooms and peppers, and also came in such large proportions we could not imagine how it was just an appetizer!
Greek lamb is the reason I started to eat lamb at all, but sadly, the roast lamb was SOLD OUT by the time we ordered dinner - 8pm! Can you imagine how busy the restaurant must be? We will definitely be back to taste the lamb in the future. Who can refuse such delicious food for such a great price! Our service was also friendly and endearing - our waiter even offered us free cakes as dessert. I am sure there are other great deals to be had in the area and look forward to more food adventures on the Danforth :)Those who know me also know that I rarely venture out of the downtown core - there are so many food options already, there has to be a really good incentive for us to brave the weekend drivers. And despite the many cultural plots in the city, we have not spent enough time exploring Little Italy, Little Portugal, Korea Town and the like. This past weekend, we made our way to Greek Town on the Danforth, to a restaurant called Pantheon.
Logistics first: the Danforth is a lovely neighbourhood that is VERY busy on a hot summer day - reservations recommended, as is taking the subway (we spent +30min looking for parking!).
Pantheon, above all, was an amazing deal. For 6 people, we had 5 entrees (each enough to feed 2), a dip platter and 3 appetizers (each the size of an entree!) at $30 a person including tax and tip! We were stuffed and happy beyond belief, and some of us even had lunch for the next day. My favourites include the Orange Roughy - Pantheon boasts fresh fish, and this fish filet was BIG. At any other restaurant, your fish would come 1/4 the size of what was served here...and it was delicious. Needless to say, we finished ours. The calamari was also exceptional. Although I typically think calamari taste relatively the same, this was tender, meaty and with taste beyond just the batter. The grilled octopus was similar - served as two grilled tentacles (sounds scarrier than it is), the octopus was actually very tender and not as chewy as we have come to expect. Our livers were served with mushrooms and peppers, and also came in such large proportions we could not imagine how it was just an appetizer!
Greek lamb is the reason I started to eat lamb at all, but sadly, the roast lamb was SOLD OUT by the time we ordered dinner - 8pm! Can you imagine how busy the restaurant must be? We will definitely be back to taste the lamb in the future. Who can refuse such delicious food for such a great price! Our service was also friendly and endearing - our waiter even offered us free cakes as dessert. I am sure there are other great deals to be had in the area and look forward to more food adventures on the Danforth :)Those who know me also know that I rarely venture out of the downtown core - there are so many food options already, there has to be a really good incentive for us to brave the weekend drivers. And despite the many cultural plots in the city, we have not spent enough time exploring Little Italy, Little Portugal, Korea Town and the like. This past weekend, we made our way to Greek Town on the Danforth, to a restaurant called Pantheon.
Logistics first: the Danforth is a lovely neighbourhood that is VERY busy on a hot summer day - reservations recommended, as is taking the subway (we spent +30min looking for parking!).
Pantheon, above all, was an amazing deal. For 6 people, we had 5 entrees (each enough to feed 2), a dip platter and 3 appetizers (each the size of an entree!) at $30 a person including tax and tip! We were stuffed and happy beyond belief, and some of us even had lunch for the next day. My favourites include the Orange Roughy - Pantheon boasts fresh fish, and this fish filet was BIG. At any other restaurant, your fish would come 1/4 the size of what was served here...and it was delicious. Needless to say, we finished ours. The calamari was also exceptional. Although I typically think calamari taste relatively the same, this was tender, meaty and with taste beyond just the batter. The grilled octopus was similar - served as two grilled tentacles (sounds scarrier than it is), the octopus was actually very tender and not as chewy as we have come to expect. Our livers were served with mushrooms and peppers, and also came in such large proportions we could not imagine how it was just an appetizer!
Greek lamb is the reason I started to eat lamb at all, but sadly, the roast lamb was SOLD OUT by the time we ordered dinner - 8pm! Can you imagine how busy the restaurant must be? We will definitely be back to taste the lamb in the future. Who can refuse such delicious food for such a great price! Our service was also friendly and endearing - our waiter even offered us free cakes as dessert. I am sure there are other great deals to be had in the area and look forward to more food adventures on the Danforth :)
Logistics first: the Danforth is a lovely neighbourhood that is VERY busy on a hot summer day - reservations recommended, as is taking the subway (we spent +30min looking for parking!).
Pantheon, above all, was an amazing deal. For 6 people, we had 5 entrees (each enough to feed 2), a dip platter and 3 appetizers (each the size of an entree!) at $30 a person including tax and tip! We were stuffed and happy beyond belief, and some of us even had lunch for the next day. My favourites include the Orange Roughy - Pantheon boasts fresh fish, and this fish filet was BIG. At any other restaurant, your fish would come 1/4 the size of what was served here...and it was delicious. Needless to say, we finished ours. The calamari was also exceptional. Although I typically think calamari taste relatively the same, this was tender, meaty and with taste beyond just the batter. The grilled octopus was similar - served as two grilled tentacles (sounds scarrier than it is), the octopus was actually very tender and not as chewy as we have come to expect. Our livers were served with mushrooms and peppers, and also came in such large proportions we could not imagine how it was just an appetizer!
Greek lamb is the reason I started to eat lamb at all, but sadly, the roast lamb was SOLD OUT by the time we ordered dinner - 8pm! Can you imagine how busy the restaurant must be? We will definitely be back to taste the lamb in the future. Who can refuse such delicious food for such a great price! Our service was also friendly and endearing - our waiter even offered us free cakes as dessert. I am sure there are other great deals to be had in the area and look forward to more food adventures on the Danforth :)Those who know me also know that I rarely venture out of the downtown core - there are so many food options already, there has to be a really good incentive for us to brave the weekend drivers. And despite the many cultural plots in the city, we have not spent enough time exploring Little Italy, Little Portugal, Korea Town and the like. This past weekend, we made our way to Greek Town on the Danforth, to a restaurant called Pantheon.
Logistics first: the Danforth is a lovely neighbourhood that is VERY busy on a hot summer day - reservations recommended, as is taking the subway (we spent +30min looking for parking!).
Pantheon, above all, was an amazing deal. For 6 people, we had 5 entrees (each enough to feed 2), a dip platter and 3 appetizers (each the size of an entree!) at $30 a person including tax and tip! We were stuffed and happy beyond belief, and some of us even had lunch for the next day. My favourites include the Orange Roughy - Pantheon boasts fresh fish, and this fish filet was BIG. At any other restaurant, your fish would come 1/4 the size of what was served here...and it was delicious. Needless to say, we finished ours. The calamari was also exceptional. Although I typically think calamari taste relatively the same, this was tender, meaty and with taste beyond just the batter. The grilled octopus was similar - served as two grilled tentacles (sounds scarrier than it is), the octopus was actually very tender and not as chewy as we have come to expect. Our livers were served with mushrooms and peppers, and also came in such large proportions we could not imagine how it was just an appetizer!
Greek lamb is the reason I started to eat lamb at all, but sadly, the roast lamb was SOLD OUT by the time we ordered dinner - 8pm! Can you imagine how busy the restaurant must be? We will definitely be back to taste the lamb in the future. Who can refuse such delicious food for such a great price! Our service was also friendly and endearing - our waiter even offered us free cakes as dessert. I am sure there are other great deals to be had in the area and look forward to more food adventures on the Danforth :)Those who know me also know that I rarely venture out of the downtown core - there are so many food options already, there has to be a really good incentive for us to brave the weekend drivers. And despite the many cultural plots in the city, we have not spent enough time exploring Little Italy, Little Portugal, Korea Town and the like. This past weekend, we made our way to Greek Town on the Danforth, to a restaurant called Pantheon.
Logistics first: the Danforth is a lovely neighbourhood that is VERY busy on a hot summer day - reservations recommended, as is taking the subway (we spent +30min looking for parking!).
Pantheon, above all, was an amazing deal. For 6 people, we had 5 entrees (each enough to feed 2), a dip platter and 3 appetizers (each the size of an entree!) at $30 a person including tax and tip! We were stuffed and happy beyond belief, and some of us even had lunch for the next day. My favourites include the Orange Roughy - Pantheon boasts fresh fish, and this fish filet was BIG. At any other restaurant, your fish would come 1/4 the size of what was served here...and it was delicious. Needless to say, we finished ours. The calamari was also exceptional. Although I typically think calamari taste relatively the same, this was tender, meaty and with taste beyond just the batter. The grilled octopus was similar - served as two grilled tentacles (sounds scarrier than it is), the octopus was actually very tender and not as chewy as we have come to expect. Our livers were served with mushrooms and peppers, and also came in such large proportions we could not imagine how it was just an appetizer!
Greek lamb is the reason I started to eat lamb at all, but sadly, the roast lamb was SOLD OUT by the time we ordered dinner - 8pm! Can you imagine how busy the restaurant must be? We will definitely be back to taste the lamb in the future. Who can refuse such delicious food for such a great price! Our service was also friendly and endearing - our waiter even offered us free cakes as dessert. I am sure there are other great deals to be had in the area and look forward to more food adventures on the Danforth :)
Delux Bistro in Trendy Ossington
Ossington is the newest up and coming area for food - we've had a great experience so far at Foxley (yummy Asian inspired tapas) and have heard good things about Pizzeria Libretto with an oven flown in from Italy. We decided to try out Delux with our friends Abby and Denis this past Friday, something a little off the beaten path.Delux is shabby-chic, true to the cool vibe of the Ossington area.
Our dinner highlights:
Cubano sandwhich - yummy "appetizer" that is definitely for sharing (enough to be a meal). It is a hearty dish, comfort food at its best.
Snapper prepared just perfect with a bit of crispy skin and served in a creamy boulabaise broth - delicious!
Sablefish - my favourite! Sablefish is normally a very meaty fish, but it was prepared to JUST the right temperature and for the right time because it was incredibly tender and silky.
Delux is a good place to catch up with friends - it offers a relaxed casual atmosphere with light hearty food. I'm curious how often the menu changes since it does not have a wide range, although there were dinner and appy specials. The food was good, but just above average given our many choices in the city; however, we did enjoy our time there and think it is worth checking out.
Thursday, July 2, 2009
A Vegan Experience at Fressen
Tony and I stumbled upon Fressen last weekend after missing out dinner at Prague (an AWESOME Czech deli on Queen West). A friend had recommended it previously and we decided to stop in and give it a go.
The restaurant is quaint, intimate and very affordable (bonus!). It bodes a tapas menu, $9 a plate, and 4 plates were more than enough to fill us. The mushroom ravioli in tomato sauce was good although not spectacularly unique. We really enjoyed the mixed king and shitake mushroom dish and even more so the asparagus on quinoa. The spinach blini, however, was disappointing. Blini is a yeast-leavened buckwheat pancake. It did not have much taste although the texture was very interesting (almost bouncy, if food can be bouncy); ultimately, the salsa was too citrusy for my liking and I left it unfinished. Our favourite item was actually my drink: Ginger Spin - fresh ginger and apple juice with gin. It had just the right amount of ginger with a touch of apple juice, and was incredibly refreshing on a hot summer day.
I can't say I'm an expert on vegetarian or vegan cuisine, but Fressen was a bit disappointing. We used to frequent a The Coup, a vegan restaurant in Calgary, which we miss dearly and that is really my only basis of comparison. What I liked is that Fressen presents unique flavours not typical of vegetarian fare - fine dining sans meat (yes, totally possible!); however, I expected and prefer simpler and cleaner tastes and found the Fressen menu surprisingly heavy, although I am sure it was fresh and healthy. Just personal preference I guess.
I'd love to hear the thoughts of any vegans/vegetarians out there, since I really cannot claim to know great vegetarian food from bad.
The restaurant is quaint, intimate and very affordable (bonus!). It bodes a tapas menu, $9 a plate, and 4 plates were more than enough to fill us. The mushroom ravioli in tomato sauce was good although not spectacularly unique. We really enjoyed the mixed king and shitake mushroom dish and even more so the asparagus on quinoa. The spinach blini, however, was disappointing. Blini is a yeast-leavened buckwheat pancake. It did not have much taste although the texture was very interesting (almost bouncy, if food can be bouncy); ultimately, the salsa was too citrusy for my liking and I left it unfinished. Our favourite item was actually my drink: Ginger Spin - fresh ginger and apple juice with gin. It had just the right amount of ginger with a touch of apple juice, and was incredibly refreshing on a hot summer day.
I can't say I'm an expert on vegetarian or vegan cuisine, but Fressen was a bit disappointing. We used to frequent a The Coup, a vegan restaurant in Calgary, which we miss dearly and that is really my only basis of comparison. What I liked is that Fressen presents unique flavours not typical of vegetarian fare - fine dining sans meat (yes, totally possible!); however, I expected and prefer simpler and cleaner tastes and found the Fressen menu surprisingly heavy, although I am sure it was fresh and healthy. Just personal preference I guess.
I'd love to hear the thoughts of any vegans/vegetarians out there, since I really cannot claim to know great vegetarian food from bad.
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